From the Bottom of My Heart
by The Genius Mage
Summary: The impossible had happened. It had even chosen the Hero of the Great War as its messenger. Rita Mordio simply could not believe she was holding Elucifer's Apatheia in her hands. No pairings, post-game, one-shot.


_~*_From the Bottom of My Heart_*~_

_It was a simple matter of trust, after all._

~*X*~

**Prismatic **strands of light danced across the brightly lit room of the finest mage in the land, a certain Rita Mordio—age seventeen. A crystal wind-chime twinkled in the window, clinking together softly as a breeze from outside nudged the bars of glass together. Bookshelves lined the room from nearly every wall top to bottom, and each one was filled with tomes of various sizes and thickness. A canopy bed of all things, draped with heavy dark red curtains, sat off to the side and even the drawer next to it was heaped with scrolls and lengthy volumes. The room was a clustered disaster zone of parchment and boards etched with complex spell patterns.

But, there was a path through the mess. A lone strip of gray carpet that ended at a table with two chairs. This sturdy oaken structure had long been the meeting place of the princess and the mage ever since she had first moved in, after Aspio had been destroyed.

Most of Rita's studying required her to delve into complicated energy formulas in an endeavor to find a way to replace the blastia of the world, now lost to them since they had converted them all to Spirits to combat the Adephagos. Fortunately that was mostly behind her now. Her "New Energy" hypothesis had been crafted, tested, proven to work, and was now in the process of being mass produced. She at first had been competing with Flynn's own genius mage, Witcher, but in the end they had worked together to create an entirely different and more efficient energy than both their old theories combined.

However, she was Rita Mordio, the Famed Mage of Aspio. People liked to think that she had done most of the work and she smugly thought to herself that yes, she had. There was a reason she was more famous than Witcher, dammit.

Rita was currently alone in her room, sitting at the table with a book open in front of her. Sunlight kissed the pages and made them translucent, made them glow. It wasn't a volume on science or even on blastia, the mage's old love. Instead it was on romance, something she most certainly wouldn't be reading under any normal circumstances. However, Estelle had spent weeks and months laboring over writing her own novel and _this_ was the second installment in her series, _Chronicles of Fate_.

(It secretly made Rita happy to read it, because there was a mage in the story and the heroine never forgot, or seemed bothered by, the sharp-tongued spellcaster.)

There came a most unexpected sound, a knock on the door. Rita glanced up from a particularly good part, annoyed, slipping a bookmark in before slamming the manuscript shut. That wouldn't be Estellise; she was busy at the moment with a meeting. "What do you want?" She snapped, two years in the imperial palace having had done nothing to improve her infamously short temper.

A pause, and then the same knock came again. It was a heavy, forceful sound.

Wary now, the mage rose slowly. "I said what do you want?" She growled. There was no response, just the same insistent rapping of knuckles against wood. Well and truly riled up now; Rita stalked to the door and opened it, a magic circle glowing brilliant red-orange at her feet. "O flickering blaze b—"Her tongue tripped over itself and the words died in her throat, taking the glowing lines of power with it.

Duke, of all people, was standing like an enormous pale phantom in her doorway. His scarlet eyes burrowed into hers, and his mere presence gave off such an intimidating vibe that the genius mage felt herself quell just a little.

And then she recovered, fueled by her indignation. "What the hell? Would it have killed you to say who you are?"

He studied her, clearly attempting to gauge whether or not her accusations were worth a direct response. "May I come in?" He rumbled in his deep voice.

Rita scowled, considering saying _no he freaking couldn't_ in a much nastier way than what is written here. In the end she reasoned that Duke wouldn't be here if he didn't have a good reason, so she stepped aside soundlessly to let him through.

"Thank you." Duke entered her room, Dein Nomos rippling in its sheathe. Her shocked green gaze landed on the sword for a few moments before she turned back to the door and closed it. If he seemed repulsed or even a tad bewildered by the state of her room, he said nothing and his face betrayed nothing.

Rita brushed past him and sat down back at her table, pushing Estelle's novel safely behind a towering pile of books, out of sight of her guest. When Duke simply stood beside the other chair, the mage gestured sharply for him to take a seat. Once he had done so, she launched her question.

"So, what do you want?"

Duke's eyes landed on one of her chaotic note-filled journals that lined the surface of the table. He said without even looking at her, "You have made great progress."

"Yeah, yeah but you didn't come here to congratulate me, did you?"

"You are only partially correct. There _is_ another reason, however." Very slowly, very carefully, he pulled out a black leather-wrapped satchel from somewhere on his person and set it on the table between them. He peeled back the edges with infinite delicacy, revealing the luminescent form of the most breathtakingly beautiful crystal she had ever seen. It was the blue-green color of the ocean in sunlight and a white fire seemed to ripple within it. Instantly, the strength of the lighting in the room increased and the wind-chime by the window released even more dazzling rainbows in response to the change.

Rita's breath caught in her throat, and she leaned forward with her mouth partially open in amazement. "Th-That's an Apatheia!"

"Yes, it is," was all Duke answered with. His fingers curled protectively around the priceless gem, the core of an Entelexia, his lips pressed together with a rigid force.

Forcing herself to sit back and observe the Apatheia from a more respectable angle, the mage put her hand on the side of her face like she always did when faced with a challenging puzzle. "Did you come to me so Estelle and I could turn this Apatheia into a Spirit?"

"Yes, I have come for that very reason." Duke sighed deeply and looked her in the eyes. "But this is no Apatheia merely found. This means more to me than anything in Terca Lumireis. Do you know what Entelexia this used to be?"

The strength of his words hit Rita's ears like stones. "Used…to be? You don't mean…!"

"Yes. This," He drew the crystal closer to him, as if to shield it from the world. "Is the Apatheia of Elucifer."

"No way…but I thought—"

"He was indeed killed," Duke's tone became icy. "But I managed to save his Apatheia, and I have kept it safe for many, many years." He shook his head, long white tresses swaying.

"Why tell us now? When we were converting Spirits two years ago, you could have—"

He interrupted her again. "I was uncertain of your actions then, as you know. But I have watched you and the others attempt to change this world for the better. I would like to think that I can…_trust you_ with Elucifer's Apatheia. I have conversed with the other Spirits and they have assured me that the 'evolution' is not…" He trailed off again.

Rita was watching him closely; sharply reminded of the stubborn man they had fought a couple of years back. Brave Vesperia versus the Hero of the Great War. He had been so stuck in his ways that he hadn't helped them destroy the Adephagos until after his defeat by their hands. Better to wipe out all human life, he had thought once, than to let them make more catastrophic mistakes that could cause the earth itself to die…taking the innocent monsters and the surviving Entelexia along with it.

She wondered how long he had sat pondering this choice, this immense decision to come to her in Zaphias with the core of his best friend.

"Why did you come to me?" Rita inquired, lifting her eyes from the whorls in the table. Her brows were furrowed and she was frowning. "Why not Estelle first, or Yuri?"

Duke gazed back at her quietly for a few heartbeats. "…Because," he intoned gravely. "My relationship with Elucifer bears great similarity to your relationship with the princess."

"Wait, what?" Her face heated a little. "Estelle and I don't have a relationship."

"Your friendship," he corrected, moving right along. "For you are her friend, are you not?"

"Yeah, so?"

"And she is a princess, royalty. You are a mage, a famed one, but a mage all the same."

"I'm not _just _a mage," Rita snarled, her hackles rising at his statement. How _dare_…!

His smoldering eyes, like coals, silenced her. "Elucifer was a great and powerful Entelexia, respected amongst them. I was a mere soldier in the ranks of the human army. We were a world apart and yet we had a friendship that transcended our vast differences. I see the same in your relation to the princess."

Rita nodded slowly. She hesitated and then asked, "Can I see the Apatheia?"

Duke paused, and then he slid the gem over to her. Rita, very gently, spread her hands over its surface and was surprised to feel pits and grooves running all across it. This crystal had seen rough times. "We need to attune the aer within into a specific type of energy," she explained as best she could. "An element preferably, like how Undine controls water. What do you think Elucifer would have liked to be in control of?"

This made him stop and think. His solemn stare slid off of her and went out towards the open window.

Rita left him to his own devices, staring with an open fascination at Elucifer's Apatheia. It continued to blaze like a torch in her hands, and it even felt_ warm_ to her. She traced her fingers around it, feeling the pricks and pits of imperfections all across its sides.

"He always liked the moon," Duke said so softly that she barely heard.

"I'm sorry?" She made an effort to reign in her temper and be polite. After all Duke was one of the few people that had _some_ degree of respect from her, stubborn or no. She was actually immensely humbled that he had trusted her enough to show her the core of someone so incredibly cherished to him.

For all intents and purposes, she had the Entelexia's life in her hands.

"He liked the sun as well," Duke finished, turning back towards her. Fragmented rainbow patterns from Estelle's wind-chime slid noiselessly across his pale face. "Light, I imagine, would be something he would enjoy controlling."

Rita gazed down at the Apatheia, which continued to emit a powerful radiance. "Light is a good choice." She handed him the crystal back and stood. Grabbing her goggles, one of her spell-books that she used for battle, and a small pad that was tightly packed with Spirit Conversation notes, she said, "I'll go get Estelle. Meet us outside the city."

Duke tucked Elucifer's core safely away and got to his feet. He still towered over her despite the years that had gone by, but oddly there was no sign of wrinkles on his face despite how weary he appeared. "Where?"

She thought hard. "On your way here you should have seen a lightning struck tree on a small hill to the west. Head there, we'll see you soon."

"Very well." Duke said nothing else, just turned and swept from the room.

Rita watched him go.

~*X*~

Elucifer's rebirth promised to be a momentous occasion, but not all of Brave Vesperia would be there to witness it. In fact, the only "member" of the prestigious guild that Rita even cared to fetch was Flynn. Normally, perhaps, the genius mage would have sent notes out to all of their friends and brought them together.

But something told her that Duke wouldn't want to wait for her to assemble her comrades.

An hour after her parting words with the Hero of the Great War, Rita, Estelle, and Flynn were trudging up the hill towards the lightning struck tree. It was a great towering shape against the blue midday sky, brown towards its base—maybe it could recover one day—but blackened and twisted out of shape the higher the branches climbed. It was on the highest of the midsize hills that ridged around Zaphias, and green stretched out in almost every direction. The ocean was nearby, a deep blue shimmer on the horizon.

Duke was waiting for them. He had Dein Nomos in one hand, Elucifer's Apatheia in the other. His eyes became slits as he spotted Flynn behind Estellise.

The Commandant stepped forward and put his fist over his heart in a salute, dipping down in a quick bow. "My name is Commandant Flynn Scifo; it's an honor to meet you. Due to the absence of Yuri and the rest of Brave Vesperia, I have offered to assist in the Conversion process in their stead."

Duke blinked questioningly at Rita.

"Even without everyone else, so long as Duke has Dein Nomos, we _should_ be okay." Rita turned to Estelle with a reassuring smile. "We've done this before, right?"

The princess nodded, her eyes sparkling with determination. "Duke wants Elucifer to be reborn as a Light Spirit, doesn't he?" She looked at him for confirmation.

"That is correct." Duke approached Rita and silently handed her the Apatheia. The enormous amount of faith being placed in her at this moment in time made the genius mage feel a bit uneasy.

She squared her shoulders. No big deal, she had done this previously at least four times…Efreet, Undine, Sylph and Gnome had all been successes. Elucifer would be no different.

_Should_ be no different…

Shaking off her doubts, the mage started to run her formula. Flynn looked a bit unsure what to do, but Estelle motioned for him to stand within a glowing circle. Duke went to stand in another, larger version of Flynn's with a more intricate design. Dein Nomos started to glow with a reddish light.

Thinking of Duke's words to her, about how his friendship with Elucifer was similar to her friendship with Estelle, Rita kept her eyes focused on Estelle, holding her companion's gaze as she let the formula formally start. The Apatheia lifted into the air slightly, and Duke tensed, his own scarlet stare never once straying from its slightly jagged surface.

_Okay…okay…_Breathing in deeply, Rita let the energy flow around her. Aer, mana, everything that she could sense. Due to the absence of blastia, she had had no choice but to learn (and master) the art of using Spirit-based magic. It had been difficult even for her—more so everyone else—but now she was grateful since it helped her keep the process as smooth as possible. Estelle should have no trouble at all, and neither should Duke and Flynn who were lending their support.

A blinding light emanated out from the Apatheia quite suddenly, earlier than any of the other times. Startled, Rita checked the digital display she had called up in front of her, but there was nothing there in the readings that indicated a problem. Telling herself to calm down, Rita shut off the program.

"That should do it," she remarked, feeling drained after her exertion.

The swirling light spun rapidly like a spinning top before contracting in sharply on itself. A silhouette appeared amidst the radiance, something distinctly bird-like. Dragon-like? Whatever it was, it was big and it had wings. The glow never disappeared, just faded enough so that the foursome could see the sleeping form of the former Entelexia.

It was a large white creature with broad wings that were currently folded protectively around its body. It had a thick gold beak and the feathers that covered its whole frame seemed to glimmer like shards of crystal. It was a beautiful Spirit all right, giving off the feeling of Light just as much as Efreet gave off Fire.

"Amazing," Flynn whispered, his armor rattling as he took a step forward.

Rita noticed how completely still Duke was standing, his eyes resting on the face of the sleeping Spirit with clear anxiety. "It's okay," she said hurriedly. "This is normal."

"Yes," Estelle added, clasping her hands in front of her as if in prayer. "The other Spirits are telling me that he'll wake up soon."

Duke's deep voice reverberated loudly in the sudden silence. "Elucifer?"

The creature, be it dragon or bird, stirred and lifted its long neck. Golden eyes the color of the sun peered out at the world with a sleepy expression. Great wings were extended that cast no shadow, only more white light, each feather refracting rainbow patterns against the grass and over their faces. An elongated, vaguely reptilian tail arched over its head.

It spoke.

"_Where am I? How is it that I stand here now?"_

Estelle took a step forward as Flynn hovered near her. "You're near Zaphias," she explained soothingly. "And—"

"_This power…!"_ Elucifer's eyes widened. _"I have never felt anything like it before…"_

Rita noticed that Duke was oddly quiet. He was watching the scene, barely moving, as if he had turned to stone.

"You're a Spirit now," Flynn picked up where the princess had left off. "Not an Entelexia, and the world is much different from your last time here. The Great War is over."

"_Over…? What of—"_Unexpectedly, Elucifer's head swung around and he gasped audibly. _"Duke?"_

Duke smiled at his friend. It was such an extraordinary sight that Rita exchanged a shocked glance with Estelle. "It has been far too long, my friend."

"_You have changed much,"_ Elucifer noted softly. He lowered himself to the ground and touched the tip of his muzzle to the war veteran's head. _"You have grown older. What years have passed?"_

Raising a hand, Duke placed it on the side of the Spirit's heavy beak. His gaze was unbelievably kind, and some of the distantness that Rita had noticed seemed to melt away. "There is much to tell you, Elucifer."

"_I can no longer go by that name."_ Turning to Rita, who had thus far said nothing, the Light Spirit inquired, _"You, who have helped to return me to Terca Lumireis, a world I thought I had lost…what do you christen me?"_

The mage suddenly wished that Karol was here with his usual long and complicated names…it was better than anything she could come up with, though she'd never admit it. "Estelle?"

The princess's expression became pensive. "How about…Aska? From the legend of the holy bird?"

"_Aska…it is a name I deem worthy. Henceforth I shall be known as Aska…"_ He smiled; Rita swore he did, somehow with a _beak_. _"Even to old friends."_ The newly christened Aska nuzzled Duke again. _"My friend, I have missed you."_

Duke gave another smile that told more than any words he could ever say. However, he walked toward Rita now and extended his hand.

"Thank you," he said with his usual gravity. "For returning Elucifer to me."

Rita stared at the offered hand, and then took it. "It wasn't just me you know; it was Estelle and Flynn as well."

"Yes, it was. Thank you both. Thank you all, from the bottom of my heart." Duke headed back to Aska and the Spirit of Light curled his body around his old companion, already asking a million and one questions so that he abruptly seemed less wise and foreboding—he seemed more down-to-earth than any of the others, Entelexia or no. Except for perhaps Ba'ul.

"We should give them some time alone," Flynn decided. He nodded at the scene with a grin, his blue eyes flashing. "Just wait until Yuri finds out about this."

Rita glanced back at Aska and Duke over her shoulder, and then looked at Estelle. She wondered if their friendship could withstand the same sort of test that Duke had gone through.

"Rita? Is something wrong?" Estellise queried.

She shook her head. "It's nothing. Come on, let's go home."

* * *

_Author's Note: This was written at a ridiculously early time in the morning (night?) so apologies for any typos. I'm sure this makes no sense plot-wise but it seemed like an interesting idea to me. Review, if you want._


End file.
